AUGUST 2010 THE RIDER /19 Brock McCauley: Life and Achievements


On October 4th 2009 the Western horse industry lost influential and monumental pro- fessional horseman: Brock McCauley. Brock was the trainer of Congress Champions, NRHA Futurity Champions, Quarter Horse and Appaloosa World Champions, and West- ern Pleasure Futurity Champions. Brock is also well known for his contributions as a teacher and mentor to many professional and amateur riders over the years.


As a youngster, growing up on Mani- toulin Island, Brock had a natural talent with horses but it wasn’t until he moved to King City with his brother Blaine and opened McCauley Horse Stables that could he expand professionally with his talent and knowledge. Brock’s innovative training techniques became well recognized in vari- ous, diverse disciplines including reining, western pleasure, cutting and even polo as he also trained and competed with the Toronto polo team. During this time Brock traveled to the United States frequently to purchase Quarter Horses to bring back to Canada to train and to resell. Brock also spent a brief period learning and training with legendary horseman Pine Johnson in Texas where he gained more knowledge on cutting and rein- ing horses. Brock’s extensive expertise in training allowed his business to become rec- ognized by authorities and show circles in Canada and the U.S. His skills and training expertise very quickly grew to a world-class standard and he began to receive inquires from around the world on teaching systems, training procedures and horse administration. During this period Brock and Blaine were responsible for getting many people estab- lished in the Quarter horse breed. As it was remembered by some of Brock’s oldest friends, Brock would take eight to ten stock trailers full of horses to each horse show and then show in all of the events.


After a brief period teaching and manag- ing for Ontario’s largest Quarter Horse breeding and training farm, he returned to his own business at McCauley Quarter Horses in Bond Head, Ontario, where he specialized in training, breeding and exhibition. Brock suc- cessfully supervised the acquisition, breeding and training of some of North America’s top Quarter Horses which include, but certainly are not limited to: Taco Spicy, who won at the northern NRHA futurities and at the All American Quarter Horse Congress in 1981; Two Eyed Matador, NRHA bronze trophy winner; I’m a Kings Pistol, a World Champi- onship in Western Pleasure; Extra Special Man, winner at the All American Quarter Horse Congress for Western Pleasure; and Miss Zippo Win, superior Western Pleasure and Halter mare. Brock showed and won locally and abroad, winning championships (with his Non-Pro’s/ Youth exhibitors and himself) at the most competitive shows in the industry. Not only did Brock create a world- class reputation for outstanding bloodlines and innovative breeding and training tech- niques, he also extended his knowledge as a freelance consultant to those who were inter- ested in developing similar systems and pro- cedures for their stock. Along with his busi- ness partners, Brock assisted in the develop- ment and promotion of an overseas market in Europe. Brock sold and shipped horses to European breeders who were interested in the quickly excelling discipline of reining. He also spent time, mainly in Italy, helping to train the eager riders.


As a consultant in North America he assisted some of the largest names in the industry to become financially successful on a world-class scale. Along with business consultants, Ken Moorish, Harold Alexander, and Mike Gipson, Brock become responsible for the successful establishment of Storm King’s Quarter Horse operation in Canning- ton, Ontario, and assisted them in their expansion into the United States. Brock and his family moved to Texas to begin operation and management at the Southern Storm King Ranch. While managing at this facility he trained two top NSBA riders - Mark Shaffer and Eric Anderson- who trained and showed some of the leading Quarter Horse pleasure horses of the 1990’s, including some of Prin- ciple Investment’s offspring. Top NSBA rider, horse trainer, and best friend to Brock, Steve Heckaman, also credits his career to Brock. Heckaman recognizes that, without


his time with Brock, his career would not be where it is today. Brock also hand-picked and managed the career of NSBA top stallion Principle Investment who was the winner of the 2 year-old All American Quarter Horse Congress. Principle was a high money earning NSBA 2 year old and was a superior Western Pleasure stallion. In the past decade Brock went back to his roots and began to breed, raise and train reining horses again. Brock sold some of his horses abroad where they excelled in their show careers, while at home his Non-Pro’s were highly success- ful in the Ontario reining circuit, winning Bronzes and Pewters. He is also responsible for the World Championship titles won with the pleasure horses he coached and the students he mentored. Not only was Brock an exceptional horseman


who trained countless horses to become champi- ons and to excel in their disciplines, he also trained riders to become hugely successful non- pro’s and professional horseman and women. Brock spent much of his life passing on his knowl- edge to the future generations of the horse indus- try. He had a unique talent for trouble-shooting problems and could watch a horse and rider, iden- tify any issues, then formulate a fix for the situa- tion within moments. Because of this talent, Brock was visited by various different riders with their horses, many of whom were horse trainers themselves.


Brock referred to himself as an “in the trench” trainer, mainly because he worked with his horses every day to get them to their fullest potential, many of which were going to be ridden and shown


by other riders. But because Brock took long hia- tuses from the show ring, he came to be underesti- mated for his talents and his grand contributions to the western horse industry. However, his memory will live on through the immeasurable contribu- tions he made and he will always be remembered with a dear fondness by those whom he taught. Those of us who had the privilege of working with Brock understand how influential he was to our lives, in and out of the show pen.


Without Brock McCauley, the Ontario horse industry, and the western horse industry as a whole, would not be what it is today. He will be greatly missed by his family, friends, students and his horses.


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